I'll Be Taking Your Heart
by B1ackwolf
Summary: After Akira scolds Ryuji and Ann, he realizes that his words may have been a bit harsh on his friends. With that in mind, he makes up his mind to apologize and make it up to them. Ryuji would be a piece of cake. But Ann would be something else entirely.


**Hope ya like Persona 5 cuz I wrote a story for it! Keep in mind that I haven't played the game at the time of writing this but I have played a good chunk of it by the time I probably publish this. I know I haven't written anything for a good long while but I just haven't had the motivation or the creative ideas I need to make an interesting story. But P5 has me so damn hype.**

 **Quick note that I have no plans to finish my RWBY story called Natural Selection since I had no fucking clue where I was going with it. I was writing until I felt a chapter was long enough without any thought for what I did for it in the future (Well ok, there was some thought but I'm not gonna be one of those authors who needs 60 fucking chapters to tell what should be a simple goddamn story while showing no sign of resolving anything in the story anytime soon). From now on I'll be focusing on writing one shots or collections of one shots because that style of writing just fits well with the weird spurts of motivation and creativity I have.**

 **Sorry to anyone who wanted to see Natural Selection go on. I probably would've just ended up running it into the ground if I kept going and ruining everything about it that you liked. But I still hope that if you like Persona you'll give this one shot a try and maybe others I might do in the future when I'm done with the game.**

 **P.S. Akira Kurusu is the name of the P5 protagonist in the manga. Seemed fitting so I used it.**

* * *

"I'm off to school." Akira Kurusu called as he exited the cafe and squinted from the early morning sun. Hopefully it would rain soon. Sitting by the window in school on bright and sunny days meant a whole day of boiling in his uniform from the sunlight alone.

"Yo, Joker!" An energetic voice called.

Akira turned around to see Ryuji Sakamoto walking up with his usual swagger.

"We're not in a Palace." Akira reminded him with a calm and even voice to hide his irritation.

"I know. I know." Ryuji insisted, waving his hand as if to brush the issue aside. "But I've gotten so used to calling you that in a Palace that I just let it slip. Forgive me?" He asked and bowed his head slightly while not looking sorry one bit.

"Fine." Akira accepted the faux apology with a sigh. "Let's go. Niijima-senpai won't like it if we're late. Just because she's with us doesn't mean she'll give us a free pass when it comes to being late to school."

Akira began walking the way to school as Ryuji fell in step beside him. "So any jobs planned soon?" Ryuji asked, unable to keep the excitement from creeping into his voice.

Akira made note of this. The rest of the Phantom Thieves were also starting to get a little on edge as well because exams were soon. He would need to take them on a trip to one of the Mementos to let them relieve their stress. It wouldn't do for them to keep their urges bottled up for too long.

"How about we all go to one of the Mementos tomorrow? It'll be a good chance for you to try out your evolved Persona."

Ryuji's smile widened and he threw his hands up. "Oh yeah. Time to throw down!"

Akira winced at his confidant's yelling. Honestly, why couldn't Ryuji save that energy for tomorrow?

"Come to think of it…" Ryuji seemed to be contemplating something. "If our Personas evolving is a sign of us, getting stronger...then what does that mean for you? Arsene still hasn't evolved, has it?"

Akira almost stumbled as he continued walking but managed to keep his composure. Of all the people to notice it just had to be Ryuji.

"Maybe this is a sign that Arsene and I are perfect already. Besides I have so many other Personas that I probably wouldn't need to worry about it." Akira insisted. "Arsene was already evolved from the start. This much I'm sure of."

"Your confidence is disgusting." Ryuji shot back with a mocking tone.

The two continued on while making idle chit chat. Akira was beginning to get very nervous. He couldn't let the team know that he was bothered by the fact that Arsene still hadn't evolved like the others. He was the leader! He couldn't look weak in front of them. They relied on his versatility in combat to see them safely through Palaces!

No. If there was one thing Akira Kurusu was good at, it was avoiding bad situations. Some may see his current probation as a bad situation, but in reality it was far better than actually being arrested. Yes! His situation was ideal!

"Goooooood morning, Joker, Skull!"

Akira and Ryuji turned to see their confidant, Ann Takamaki running up to them as chipper as she could possibly be.

"See?! Even Ann is doing it! C'mon, just think of it like a nickname!" Ryuji whined whilst shaking Akira's arm.

Akira felt his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "Takamaki, I-"

"Good morning, Joker!" Ann sang while looping her arm through Akira's arm, effectively placing him between Ryuji and Ann.

A vein began pulsing on Akira's forehead as he tried to ignore Ann's behavior. "Takamaki, even if it's in English, I don't want you saying my codename in public. Understand?"

"But my English is soooo good, right?" Ann gushed and cleared her throat. "Just listen. Hello, how are you? My name is Ann Takamaki and these are my friends Skull and Joker. One's cute and the other is a complete deadbeat."

Ryuji's eyes almost popped out of his skull."Wow, Ann! That's actually pretty good. You sound like a Hollywood actress." Ryuji applauded, completely ignorant of the fact that he had just been insulted.

"I know right? What do you think, Joker?"

Akira had honestly lost track of what Ann was saying after "Joker and Skull", but he wasn't going to let her know that. Just because he wore glasses didn't mean he was a genius. English was hard!

Huffing, he wrenched his arm from Ann's grasp.

"Again, do not ever say our codenames in public again, Takamaki. We aren't playing a game. This is real. We're being investigated by the police and could face prison sentences if we get caught. What do you two not understand about this?"

His last statement came out way harsher than he had meant to and Akira regretted it when he saw Ryuji and Ann flinch and lower their heads.

"Sorry, Kurusu. I won't do it again."

Ann began pouting and crossed her arms. "Kurusu-kun is so mean."

It was during lunch break that Akira began to look for Makoto Niijima. He needed her advice. He had spoken quite harshly to Ryuji and Ann. But Akira never really had many friends before coming to Tokyo, so he didn't really know how to apologize to people when he did something wrong.

He opened the Student Council room and just as expected, Makoto was doing paperwork while nibbling on a sandwich.

"Excuse me, Niijima-senpai…"

Makoto looked up and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "Ah, Kurusu-kun. How rare for you to come to the Student Council room. What do you need?"

Akira ran his fingers through his head. "I need some advice, senpai."

Makoto tilted her head. Akira seemed to be truly distressed. It was quite surprising to see the normally composed Akira looking troubled.

"Well, what is it? Must be something quite extraordinary to make you upset."

Makoto stood up and walked around the table so she was closer to Akira before leaning against the table and crossing her arms.

"It seems I made Takamaki and Sakamoto quite upset with me." Akira explained. "They kept calling me by my codename in public. I told them they should stop because if we get found out by the police we could all serve time. But I wasn't…"

"Delicate about it?"

"Yes…"

Makoto fought off a smile. Here was a young man who she believed had the world figured out and never faltered in anything. Here was this same young man who she called Leader in the Palaces asking her for help...all to apologize to his friends.

"Kurusu-kun, you really are quite sweet on them, aren't you?" Makoto giggled to herself.

Akira's face flushed red while the glare on his glasses helped hide the expression he was making from Makoto.

"N-n-nevermind! I'll let you get back to work!" Akira turned and started to open the door.

"Hold on!" Makoto grabbed his arm and dragged him back in with her ridiculous strength. "I'll help you. Can't have those two being mad at our Leader, right?"

"Fine… Thank you, Niijima-senpai."Akira thanked her while lowering his head.

"Don't worry about this, Kurusu-kun." Makoto placed her hands on his shoulders and patted them comfortingly. "This is what your senpai are for. I was starting to feel pretty useless. Now, Ryuji will be easy. He sees you as his best friend, so he'll forgive you rather easily. In fact, he probably already has and is just waiting for you to talk to him normally so he knows you aren't still mad at him."

Akira nodded. An outlook like that really did sound like Ryuji. "But I still want to do something for him that lets him know I feel bad for acting like that to him."

"I'd say try inviting him over to watch sports. He loves sports, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. Yeah he does. That might actually work." It would work better if Akira made sure to have plenty of snacks and drinks on top of that. It was a very simple plan but it would probably be effective.

"As for Ann, I don't know how well I can help you." Makoto admitted.

"I was afraid you might say that. You and Takamaki are different in so many ways, Niijima-senpai."

"Sorry, Kurusu-kun. I wish I was more useful." Makoto apologized.

Akira seemed to perk up after she finished her statement. "Actually senpai, I think I'll just try being straightforward with her."

Akira fiddled about with his phone while he waited for Ann at the station. After he had spoken to Makoto yesterday, he texted Ann and apologized.

'Takamaki, I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to be so rude to you and Sakamoto. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you just let me know.'

She didn't respond for several hours. Just as Akira was sitting in the last class of the day, he felt his phone vibrate with Ann's response. It simply said:

'Meet me at the station on our day off tomorrow at 11.'

That was it. No emojis, emoticons, exclamation marks, or cute animal pictures. Just a plain one sentence response. After class, she tossed her hair over her shoulder at him with a "Hmph" and her nose in the air. Ok. Now Akira knew he had angered her more than he initially thought. A text message where he didn't have to bring out a cipher to decrypt it or ask Futaba to translate it...from Ann Takamaki.

Calm down, me. I should have nothing to worry about. After all Takamaki is at fault too. Why would she be mad at me for being understandably frustrated. Who am I kidding? This is Takamaki I'm thinking of. Rational thought and well put together arguments won't work on her. Whatever. I'll just have to bite the bullet and do as she asks today. I don't want this to affect our teamwork in a Palace.

Your Intelligence has increased!

Just as Akira was beginning to think he had grown as a person, he saw a female figure approaching him.

"So you actually showed up?" The unmistakable voice of Ann Takamaki greeted Akira.

Ann stood in front of him looking quite pleased with herself. It then dawned on Akira when he saw what she was wearing that Ann tended to look completely different from a normal highschool girl when she was out and wearing casual clothes. Sure he had gone out during their days off with Ann before, but some of the others always tagged along as well. This meant that this was the first time Akira was able to pay attention to Ann and only Ann.

She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans that seemed to have the tell tale signs of frequent use. Frayed edges, fading color along the knees and thighs, and a few cuts in the material here and there that offered peeks at her pale flesh underneath. Of course, knowing Ann those jeans were purposefully bought in that state so they looked "fashionably worn out". On top she wore a bright red shirt with various heart designs all in black and a black leather jacket with a dark red purse hanging from her arm to top it all off.

"Of course I did." Akira responded while slipping his phone into his pocket. "Did you really think I wouldn't show?"

Ann placed a finger on her chin in mock thought. "Hmmmm. No. Besides even if you did decide not to show up, I had a plan to get some payback."

"And what plan would that be?"

Ann turned away from Akira and made a show of tossing her hair behind her shoulder at him. "I was gonna ask Futaba to hack into your phone and computer and have her leak what kind of dirty videos you watch online to the official school website."

Akira blanched when he heard the awful plan Ann had in place in case he didn't show. "Takamaki," He began while pushing his glasses further up on his nose. "I don't know who you think I am, but I don't-"

"Liar." Ann cut him off with a cold voice and effectively piercing Akira with the sharpness of her tone. "You're a guy. Don't try and deny it."

Ann turned back in his direction and stared him down as if daring him to say that he didn't watch those kinds of videos. Akira chose to stay silent and look away from Ann. What was the saying? The absence of a yes is a no? Too bad it couldn't be applied in this situation.

"Anyway," Ann relented while grabbing the sleeve of Akira's jacket. "Let's go."

"Huh? Where are we going Takamaki?"

"Dunno. Wherever catches our eye, I guess." She responded as if she didn't have a care in the world.

Akira was effectively dragged from the station to the shopping district. People milled about, none of them paying attention to the two students as they went about their business.

So oblivious. Akira said to himself. Corrupted adults have called the shots in society for so long that people don't even know that they're being kept docile under a corrupt government. They've been slaves so long that they don't even remember that there ever was such a thing as freedom. Akira felt an inkling of sadness creep into him. That's why I have to steal the corruption in the hearts of the powerful. The world will only be better if it's fixed from the inside.

Akira shook his head as Ann kept dragging him along the street and he almost tripped on a curb. He didn't have the answers. The side of him that did was...Joker, Arsene, whoever he was when he put on that mask in the Palaces…

"First, I have to get ready for summer." Ann announced to Akira.

"Summer? Already?"

"Yep. I just have to know what I'll be wearing when the summer heat hits."

"But don't a lot of places have sales for summer clothes closer to summer?"

Ann wagged a finger in Akira's face and clicked her tongue. "Tut tut, Akira-kun. It's always best to buy at least some clothes ahead of time. Sure, I could wait until the first week of summer for the sales. But I prefer busting out my Super Summer Wardrobe on the very first day!"

Akira shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough. But is this gonna be the type of shopping trip where the guy has to hold your bags."

Ann flashed him a smile and winked. "As nice as that sounds, I don't think I'll need your help with carrying my bags. I don't plan on getting that much anyway. Besides," Ann ran a few steps ahead of him and flexed one of her arms. "I may not look it, but all that fighting we do has been great for my muscles."

Akira allowed a grin to manifest on his face. "Heh. All right then. Looks like I'll be calling you Leader this time." He joked.

"Perfect." Ann lowered her voice and mumbled in a horrible impression of his voice. "Now, we have a job to do! Let's make this quick! Let's make this clean! Let's get in and get out as quickly as possible! Move out!" She cheered while pointing straight ahead.

"I do not sound like that...do I?"

Ann giggled at the worried expression on her Leader's face. "Well you can be pretty dramatic. Like an anime character."

Akira sent her a glare. "Really? Don't think I don't notice you striking a pose whenever we all do an All Out Attack." His mouth became a thin smile when he saw Ann's face turn red and her eyes widen. "Oh yes, I see you do that alot. Winky face, pouting lips, victory sign...and you say I look like an anime character."

Ann clamped her hands over Akira's mouth to keep him from saying anymore. Her face was still red as could be and her expression was one of complete horror. "I get it! You've made your point! I never thought anyone was actually looking! It's just...when we go to a Palace...I feel like I can let loose. Y'know?"

Akira nodded understandingly and removed her hands from his mouth. "Yeah. I act a little bit differently sometimes too. And we aren't the only ones. The others do the same things as well. They just let out all the stress from the day whenever we go to a Palace."

Ann nodded at what Akira said but kept her true thoughts to herself. You only act 'a little bit differently'? No, Akira. It's like you're a different person. But that's fine. The 'you' in the Palace who is yelling orders at us and clapping us on the back when we do well, who is passing off his move onto one of us, who holds those Shadows at gunpoint and commands those same Shadows who were once our enemies. That is 'you'. But the 'you' who goes to school, earnestly works three part-time jobs, studies with us, helps us, talks to us, is awkwardly trying to get through the day with me...that is also 'you'.

Ann remembered back back to when she first met him. He looked boring. Acted boring. His way of speaking conveyed nothing but mediocrity. But it was all a facade. The sight of him running up to save her in the Palace with Sakamoto hot on his heels...a blur of black and red...he was without a doubt a dirty thief. One who had stolen her heart.

When she tried to thank them soon after that Sakamoto had taken her thanks with surprising grace for someone like him. He was just glad that she was ok. But Akira had looked at her like she had a screw loose.

'What are you talking about? It was your own power that saved you. Sakamoto and I just cleaned up after you. You don't strike me as the damsel in distress type who needs saving, Takamaki-san. You could've fought your way out anyway. So don't worry about thanking me.' That was all he had said on the matter. He didn't try and act humble, he didn't smile cheesily like a protagonist in a harem anime, nor did he relish in her gratitude. He simply stated what he believed at that time. But even so, knowing he was right behind her in a fight and was watching not just her back, but all the others as well, made her feel...safe.

He never acted like some knight in shining armor who asked her to stand back and let him handle the fighting. Nor did his watchful gaze over ever feel overbearing. He was totally confident when it came to her abilities.

"C'mon," She began pulling him again. "Let's go to that shop over there."

They walked into a clothing store that seemed to be pretty high end. Ann immediately made her way over to the summer dresses and began perusing the store's selection.

"Hmmm. Too pink. Too much lace. Not enough length. Brown? Who the hell likes wearing brown? Too large. Too small. Ah!" she pulled one out that was a lovely and pure white color with thin straps and a few frills to add to the cuteness factor.

"Too transparent." Akira's voice sounded behind her while his head peeked over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

To illustrate his point Akira put his hand behind the dress and Ann could see his point. She knew summer clothes used lighter and thinner material, but geez! She could almost make out the details of the lines on Akira's palm. If she wore this out in public in broad daylight…

"Definitely not." She declared in disgust before dropping it on the floor and not even bothering to put it back on the rack. Honestly was that dress even legal to sale anywhere outside of an adult shop?

"Akira-kun, go look and see if you can find any other good summer dresses in a medium size. No brown or orange and certainly nothing with polka dots or stripes. Solid colors! Maybe there can be a splash or two of color here and there. But for the most part I want solid colors." She emphasized her point while poking his nose.

"Ummm ok." He acknowledged with his eyes crossed and looking at her finger. "And where will you be?"

She pointed to another section of the store. "I'll be looking at some skirts. The dressing rooms are just to the right of there. If you don't see me wandering about then I'm probably in there."

Akira nodded and turned around to get started on the task he was given.

Ann found a rack of skirts and started browsing through them while she laughed to herself.

Fufufu. Ok, Ann. That's enough teasing poor Akira. He only snapped at you because you were playing around too much by using his codename too much. It's not like you didn't deserve it. He's obviously doing this as a way of apologizing. Anyway I'll also have to apologize to him too after I pick out an outfit or two here.

After selecting several shirts, skirts, shorts, and hats, Ann entered an open dressing room and threw her large pile down on the bench before locking the door.

She placed her purse next to the pile of possible outfits and began to shrug off her jacket.

After Ann had stripped down she began putting several different combinations of clothes on. She'd try a skirt with about three different tops before discarding two of those tops. She'd even pick up clothes she had discarded because she was curious how they'd look with a different pair of shorts or shirt. Bringing some of the hats in here had been a mistake in hindsight because not every outfit looked good with a summer themed hat. Next she tried striking a few poses and looking at herself in different angles, such as a three quarter view or a side view, in the mirror. She had to make sure she looked good in any position or at any angle she was seen from!

I wonder if Akira would be willing to give his opinion on these clothes. I know he's not as stone faced as people like to think. Seriously, I expected him to have more tact than to just stare down my shirt when I'm not looking. Ann wondered to herself with an irritated huff as she remembered the incident when they were in the desert.

With a shrug she began to strip back down out of the shorts and shirt she was trying on.

All he had to do was ask me-

"Excuse me sir, but just where do you think you're going?" The female voice of a store employee outside of the dressing room broke Ann from her thoughts that were starting to take a turn for the lewd. But she knew where her thoughts were going and it didn't stop her from feeling embarrassed. Ann covered her face with her hands even though nobody was in the dressing room with her and nobody knew what she had just been thinking. Her face was burning hot and she didn't have to look at herself in the tall mirror to know she was red faced.

"Excuse me. Is there anyone in there?" The same female employee knocked on the door of the dressing room while calling to get its occupant's attention.

Ann couldn't stop herself from jumping at the sound of the knocking and the grabbing at her heart to slow it down. "Y-yes. Is there something wrong?" Ann called out.

"I caught this suspicious looking young man out here who says he is looking for the young lady he came in with."

Ann took a breath before covering her breasts with her arm and opening the door just enough for her eye to peek out.

"Takamaki, please help me. She's threatening to call the police because she thinks I'm acting sketchy." A pale faced Akira begged from the other side of the door.

Ann resisted the urge to fling the door open and explain that Akira was with her, but it would be pretty awkward since her top half was completely naked. Aside from that, the boy looked so scared at the moment. She knew that his probation demanded that he be a model citizen in almost every way and receiving a call that Akira was acting suspicious would be a one way ticket to serving some time.

"Oh, don't worry. Akira is with me. I asked him to choose some clothes for me."Ann explained to the female employee.

"Oh, so he is with you?"

"Yes. Besides you don't have to worry about him doing anything suspicious. Akira's as docile as a teddy bear." She told the employee with a good natured laugh.

"Ah, that's good." Ann could see the female employee turn and bow politely to Akira. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, sir."

"Uh..um. I-uh." Akira stuttered, unsure of how to respond to an adult being so polite to him. "Don't worry about it. You were just doing your job. So raise your head. Please?"

Ann fought the urge to laugh at Akira's behavior. He was more flustered than the employee was apologetic.

When the employee left, Akira turned to the door that was barely open by a crack. "Thank you, Takamaki. You really saved me there."

"Well, if you really wanna thank me," Ann stuck her hand out the door while making sure she wasn't exposing anything. "Lemme see what you chose for me." She demanded.

"Haha. Yes ma'am."Akira replied with a relieved smile.

He handed Ann the clothes he picked out before Ann quickly closed the door.

"Huh? Akira! Why is there only one thing?"

"That's the best looking thing I could find. None of the others seemed right." She could hear him say on the other side of the wall.

Ann looked at the article of clothing on the hanger he had given her. It was a dress like she had asked for. It was a white dress with some cute frills flaring out towards the bottom. The frills themselves started off pure white but slowly turned a lovely aquamarine farther down. Ann slipped it over her head after she took of the shorts she had been trying on and then looked in the mirror.

Perfect. No see through shenanigans were gonna happen with this dress! Even better was how perfect the dress fit. The straps were nice and secure on her shoulders without being too tight or slipping off. The material fit snugly along her bust without being constricting while also helping to emphasize their size. The length felt just right too. It ended just above her knees, which is where she felt most comfortable when it came to the length of a dress like this. All in all, Akira's decision was…

100% perfection! Ann cheered to herself. Akira had outdone himself on this one. But what did he think of this?

Ann flung the door open, startling Akira who had just been leaning against the wall. "A-ki-ra…" Ann called his name in a sing song voice. She made a show of grabbing the sides of the dress with the tips of her fingers and performing a little curtsey for the young man leaning on the wall. "Well? What do you think?"

She didn't miss his eyes widening while looking her up and down or his face turning red. Akira smiled and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "You seem to like that one. I'm glad. I had a hard time finding one I thought looked good."

"Yeah I do like it. But what about you Akira? What do you think?" Ann asked, unable to keep the hope out of her voice.

"Well I wouldn't give it to you in the first place if I didn't like it or if I didn't think it would look good on you." Akira stated matter of factly. Akira grabbed one of the frills of the dress and pointed at it. "My favorite part is the way the color goes from light to dark along here." He traced his finger along the fabric to illustrate the shift from white to green to aquamarine. "I think that's why I chose this one. Other than this unique color blending, it doesn't stand out among the other dresses I saw."

Ann fought to keep her face from reddening from just how close Akira was to her face and from his long winded way of complimenting her. "You've been hanging around the Art club again, haven't you?"

Akira rubbed the back of his head. "That obvious?" He questioned.

Ann chuckled at his lack of attempt to deny it. "Color blending? Seriously? That's so lame. Why can't you just say you thought it was cute?" Ann questioned.

"Anyway," She began again while stepping away from Akira and back into the dressing room. "I think I know which one I want." She informed him before closing the door and locking it again.

When she emerged again, she was dressed in her casual clothes that she wore before with her purse and the dress Akira had given her to try on hanging from her arm. Said young man was leaning against the wall and his face was slightly red still.

"Ok. I'm ready!" Ann announced as she emerged.

"Ah. Ok." Akira looked up at her for an instant before something else behind her caught his eye. "Umm Takamaki, what do you plan on doing about all of those?" Akira inquired while pointing behind her at the large pile of clothes that she had brought to the dressing room, all of which she rejected in favor of the dress Akira picked out.

"Oh those? The employees will take care of them. Don't worry about them." Ann said, brushing the issue aside.

Akira, on the other hand, gave her a deadpan look that reminded her of when he first transferred to Tokyo. "On second thought, you go wait in line, Takamaki. I'll catch up with you in a bit." He told her before brushing past and hanging up the rejected clothes.

"Are you sure about that? You don't have to." Ann said reaching for his shoulder.

Akira could only give a dejected sigh. "I guess someone who's never been employed wouldn't know about the struggles of those in the workforce." He quipped whilst hanging a blouse on it's hanger.

Shaking her head, Ann walked up to the counter to pay for her dress. The woman in charge of the cash register was the same woman who had accused Akira of being suspicious.

"Oh ma'am. I'm sorry but could you please apologize to Akira-san for me once more. I still feel awful about calling him a suspicious person."

Ann froze. "Akira-san? How do you know his name?" Her words sounding a bit sharper than she had meant them to.

The woman tilted her head as if it were obvious. "Why? Well because you called him Akira. I know it isn't proper for me to call someone who I just met by their given name, but I didn't know what else to call him since I don't know his family name." she explained.

Ann went numb. She had used Akira's given name...multiple times since their outing started. Without even realizing she was doing it either. A sinking feeling began to take hold of Ann as she wondered to herself: Did Akira notice my slip up as well?

Thinking back, it had started with her just calling him 'Akira-kun' without realizing it. Then it had become 'Akira' very soon after that! Yet he never reacted to this at all. At least as far as she could see.

"Takamaki." Akira voiced next to her.

No! No! She was even calling him Akira in her mind.

"Are you feeling ok? You seem quite pale." Akira asked while examining her face with his stupid gaze!

"Ah-umm. Ahem. Yeah. I feel just fine. I was just about to pay for the dress." Ann recovered while turning her face away to look at anything other than Akira.

The woman behind the counter scanned the tag on the dress and told Ann the price for the item.

"Huh?" Was all Ann could say when she heard the price. Surely there had been a few extra zeroes in there, right?

She could see Akira out of the corner of her eye cover his mouth in abject horror when he heard the price as well. Apparently he hadn't bothered to look at the price either.

"Uh...um. I-I think I'll just go put it back and get it another day." Ann relented and picked up the dress with the intent of putting it back.

But she felt Akira grab her hand and place the dress back down on the counter.

"Akira?" She looked at him curiously, unaware that she had messed up on his name again.

Before she could say anything else, Akira reached into his pocket and procured his wallet and pulled out several Yen notes.

"I can pay half of it." Akira leaned down to whisper in her ear. "But I need the rest of my money to pay for weapons later today."

But Ann looked appalled. "I can't let you waste your money on this." She hissed/whispered.

"Will you wear it if we buy it?" He asked while still whispering.

"Sure. But-"

"Then I don't see it as a waste. Besides you seem pretty adamant about having this dress. C'mon Takamaki. Let me do this for you." He pleaded. He really wanted to try and make yesterday up to her.

Ann found herself at a loss for words at Akira's insistence. She really did like that Akira picked out an outfit for her and was happy he seemed to like it. But she couldn't ask him to just pay for it, could she? She hated those kinds of girls who used guys to pay for whatever it was they wanted.

"Grrr. Fine." She hissed in irritation. "But I'm paying for our lunch. Got it?" This was the only compromise where she could feel comfortable with letting Akira help pay for her clothes. He must have worked so hard at so many jobs to earn as much as he did. She would feel awful if she didn't pay him back in some way.

"Deal." He relented.

And that was how Ann ended up walking out of the store with the dress Akira picked out for her in a bag hanging in her hands.

"Thanks again...Akira." Ann looked up at her taller confidant and thanked him. This time she purposefully used his given name.

"Don't worry about it, Takamaki. Just be sure to wear it when summer rolls around." He brushed off her thanks yet again.

Takamaki… Ann mused. Just Takamaki. "A-anyway, are you hungry? I know a great place where we can eat around here. I'm paying, remember?"

"Lead the way." He gestured for her to proceed along the way they would need to take.

As she walked the street filled with countless faces, Akira fell into step beside her.

"I know you're with me today to try and apologize for yesterday." Ann started a new conversation. The way Akira seemed to stiffen up indicated that she was right. "But you have to realize that Ryuji and I were also in the wrong and we accept that."

Akira sighed tiredly. "Yeah. Is it too cheesy to say that we were all wrong?"

"Hmmmm. I can accept that if you can...Leader." She replied with a wink.

As the two walked and spoke about various things that had been happening lately, Ann noticed just how slow Akira seemed to be walking. In Palaces she practically had to sprint when he was walking at a brisk pace because of his height advantage. Was he slowing down for her?

No, no, no. Ann scolded herself. Don't go thinking you're special. A guy like him probably already has a few girls he's interested in. Like Futaba...I mean, they live under the same roof and she's so cute when she's not hiding. Or maybe Haru. She's so sweet…

"Takamaki? You ok?" Akira noticed Ann had zoned out.

"Yeah, sorry." Ann apologized while adjusting her bag with the dress to her other arm. "I was just thinking that aside from the people at school you don't really talk to people much, do you?"

Akira shook his head. "When I first transferred, I felt drained everyday just from dealing with Sakamoto and Morgana. But now I don't feel like I have to babysit those two as much anymore. I have Niijima-senpai, Kitagawa, and to an extent Okumura and you to watch them for me as well."

"Haha. Sounds like it was pretty rough in the beginning. Good boy. You did very well." Ann mock complimented him while rubbing his head. Despite his messy appearance, Akira's hair was soft, clean, and it wasn't tangly at all.

"But it's fun now. I have people at school who I like talking to. There's adults in my life who aren't all that bad. And I get to be a Phantom Thief. All in all, I'd say my life now is better than it ever was…" Akira fell silent for a moment before he shook his head. "No. That's wrong. It feels like I wasn't really alive until I came here."

Ann could only stare up at him while he made a dreamy look and the ghost of a smile. It seemed he realized what he said pretty soon after because he began to stutter.

"Uh-um. Sorry. I didn't realize that I was just rambling on." He apologized.

"Gawd." Ann groaned. "That just has to be the most roundabout way of saying 'I'm glad I have friends now'."

Akira's mouth just opened and shut several times before he snapped it shut and he looked away in humiliation. Ann patted his arm and flashed her best smile.

"But that's fine. It's not like you seeing us as your friends is weird or anything. Hell, I can't even have a conversation with Ryuji without him mentioning something you two did earlier in the week together. Sounds like you got yourself a best friend, eh?" Ann teased while elbowing Akira in the ribs.

"I…" Akira began to think about that statement. It seemed like Ryuji was with him almost all of the time, both in and outside of school. Not a day went by where Ryuji didn't call Akira and ask if he wanted to hang out or do some other activity. And on the days Akira had work, Ryuji somehow found a way to swing by for an hour our two and harass Akira on the job with Morgana. Akira had seen Ryuji at his worst and there was an unspoken promise that Akira would never mention it to anyone ever. "I think you may be right...about Sakamoto that is."

"Fix that then." Ann commanded. "If he's really your best friend, call him Ryuji. Sakamoto just sounds so...cold and distant. He's even slipped up when you're not around and said your name before." Ann paused to let that sink in and it looked like Akira was feeling a multitude of different emotions at once upon hearing this news but all of those emotions were positive. "That goes for everyone else too." She pointed out. "Try calling everyone else by their names too."

Akira pondered this. Before he transferred, he never really saw the point in going to school. But now it felt like he had many different reasons for going to school. The people there. His...friends.

"Thank you...A-Ann." Akira expressed his gratitude shakily.

Your Courage has increased!

Ann's face practically melted from heat. Her face turned redder than her costume and her joints locked up like a tin man who hadn't been oiled. But strangest of all was the smile that seemed to spread across her face with no sign of stopping.

"You're welcome, Akira." She managed to squeeze the words out of her throat somehow without stuttering or her voice squeaking.

Wait… Akira came to a realization. I just noticed, but how long has she been calling me by my name? It was odd that he never seemed to realize it before now. What was different about this time?

After Ann and Akira somehow made it to a family restaurant without Ann's joints locking up in the middle of a crosswalk, the two sat in an awkward silence for awhile.

"Soooo Akira, since we've established that you have friends, what are your friends outside of school like? Do you have any work friends? Friends from other school? Or...girlfriends?" Ann struggled to make the conversation natural and keep her true intentions a secret.

"Yes to the first two and an unfortunate no on the third." Akira confessed. "I don't know if I'm boyfriend material for a lot of girls. I don't know for sure though. It's not like I can just stroll up to any girl and ask her if I was boyfriend material. I'd feel like a creep."

"Well what about preferences? There's gotta be a type of girl you like. You can use that as a starting point." Ann suggested, trying to sound like a supportive friend and not tell him 'Who cares if you're boyfriend material for other girls'.

Akira seemed to look away ashamed. "About that...promise not to tell anyone?" He asked Ann. Sure he was trying to open up a bit, but only to one person at a time.

"Promise." Ann said a bit too quickly to seem natural but the boy sitting across from her never noticed.

Akira covered his face and spoke very softly. "For some reason I steer more toward the ones in Hollywood or Swedish films. But Sakura-san said I should find myself a nice, quiet black haired Japanese girl."

Ann made sure to keep an eye on Futaba's father to make sure he didn't dissuade Akira from foreign girls because she was stuck on that one particular detail. Girls in Hollywood and Swedish films… In other words, blonde girls. Ann was no fool. She knew the kinds of girls who made it big in Hollywood and Swedish movies. She snuck a peek at her own light colored hair and smiled. Score one for the girl with foreign blood!

Before she could point this out to Akira, their food arrived and both forgot about the conversation at the sight of food. The smell of Akira's spicy curry and Ann's enormous hamburger meal filled their nostrils. With only a look at each other they grinned and began to attack their food with gusto.

"Mmmm." Ann moaned blissfully. "It's been so long since I had a good hamburger but this is pretty close."

"It's just a hamburger though." Akira commented while shoveling some rice into his mouth.

"You'd understand if you had the chance to visit America like me." The girl with American blood assured him. "Totally different than hamburgers anywhere else."

"I don't exactly see what the big deal is though." Akira still seemed to not understand.

Wiping away some sauce on the corner of her mouth, Ann thought up an example. "You wouldn't go to Australia for curry, would you?"

"I suppose not."

"Or to Mexico for tempura? Or Romania for Mexican style tacos?"

"I think I see your point there." Akira relented with a helpless laugh.

"How's your curry, by the way?" Ann couldn't help but ask when she noticed how empty his plate was.

"Quite good. Would you like a bite?" Akira offered even though he had already scooped some up with some rice and was holding it out for her.

"Don't mind if I do." Ann took the offer while leaning forward and accepting the offered bite from Akira's spoon. "Hmmm. Too mild for my taste. Maybe with some heat I'd like it better." Ann offered her opinion.

"You're kidding! I'm barely holding on here." Akira wiped at the sweat collecting on his forehead.

In the end he powered through the sheer spiciness of the curry and cleaned his plate while Ann finished off the burger and her fries without a sweat. He had even seen her glance at the dessert section of the menu before they got up to pay the bill.

"Ah, sorry." Ann apologized when her phone went off as soon as they were outside the restaurant. "It's my mama."

Akira gestured for her to go ahead and answer.

"Hello, mama?" Ann answered the call. "Yeah. I'm with a friend right now... Akira. I've totally told you about him. Y'know the one who lives in the cafe?" A minute or so passed before Akira noticed Ann sending strange looks at him now and then. "So? Mama, I'm going to hang up if you keep joking like that. It doesn't matter when… No! I'm not gonna- Fine. But watch what you say or I will hang up." Ann pulled the phone from her ear and sighed before offering the phone to Akira. "Mama wants to talk to you."

Akira accepted the offered phone and placed it next to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, hello. Is this Akira-kun?"

"Yes. You must be Takamaki-san."

"Yes, I must be. Anyway Akira-kun, I just wanted to introduce myself to you. I hadn't heard about Ann's friends in years so I was starting to worry that she was getting lonely at school. It's nice to hear her talk about friends she made at school like she used to."

"It was me who was lonely when I first transferred here. Ann and the rest of our friends have been taking care of me a lot lately." Akira informed Ann's mother. From the corner of his eye, Akira noticed Ann perk up and slide closer before standing on her toes while tilting her head toward the phone in an attempt to eavesdrop on what was being said. Akira quickly put a stop to that by placing his hand on her head and pushing her back down and slightly further away for the sake of privacy.

"Ann?!" Said girl's mother exclaimed in a knowing tone. "Quite close, huh?" She continued in a voice similar to Ann's teasing one.

Akira realized he slipped up almost immediately. It looked pretty bad when a boy who you just found out was your daughter's friend called her by her name. Akira just had to choose today to start calling Ann by her name.

"I-I mean it'd be confusing to call both of you Takamaki, right?" He reasoned.

"Hmm. I guess so. Anyway Akira-kun, make sure to have my baby girl back home soon, ok?"

"Yes ma'am." Akira confirmed before he heard the beeping sound that informed him Ann's mother had hung up.

"Geez. Mama always messes with me when it comes to guys. I mention Ryuji once in a passing conversation and she latches onto that for a week." Ann huffed while she and Akira walked through the park to try and burn off some of the excess food they ate.

"Sounds like she's just worried about you. Or she just wants to make sure she's a part of your life." Akira tried to reason on behalf of Ann's mother.

"I know. But that doesn't mean I can't be annoyed. If she keeps up this teasing, I'll never introduce her to my boyfriend." Ann vented her frustrations.

"You have a boyfriend, Ann?"

"No!" She refuted quickly. "Just for arguments sake, y'know? I- Wait. Are you laughing at me?" Ann interrogated with an affronted look on her face.

Sure enough, Akira was chuckling to himself. "Sorry. I just realized it myself, but have you ever noticed how your speech changes when you get flustered or annoyed?"

Ann scoffed. How ridiculous! "It so does not."

Akira only chuckled harder as she did exactly what he said. "It like, so does." He retorted in a mocking impression of Ann.

"Gawd! I don't talk like that! You better friggin stop laughing if you know what's good for you, y'know."

At this point Akira was barely holding himself back. Her speech was getting even worse! Just how bad could it get?

"Sorry." Akira apologized while composing himself. "But in all seriousness, I know I came along to try and apologize to you for snapping at you yesterday, but I actually had a lot of fun."

Ann's ears perked up at this. "Really?" She was completely unable to keep the anticipation from her voice.

Akira shrugged while he thought of something. "Well I wouldn't say I had fun going shopping and getting suspected by an employee. I'd say I just had fun talking to you."

Ann couldn't keep the stupid grin from spreading on her face. All right!

"No problem, Akira. Lemme know if you wanna do this some other time."

With that the two headed for the station with Ann practically skipping the whole way and Akira easily keeping up.

Sure Ann didn't have the absolute perfect date that's shown in anime that showed the couple specials, people saying they look like a couple, or light blooming in the background every time they looked into each other's eyes. She didn't almost walk into oncoming traffic and have to be grabbed by the waist and rescued by Akira. Nor did she and Akira half to fend off a group of delinquents looking to rob them. It was perfectly ordinary and innocent. Ann was happy knowing that she just got to spend the day alone with Akira…

NOT! She was 100% not satisfied yet! Once school comes tomorrow Akira will be to busy talking to everyone else to go out with her like this for awhile.

During the ride on the train Ann was thinking about how she could get this day to last just a little bit longer. She couldn't help it...Akira had stolen her heart long ago. But she was a Phantom Thief, damnit! She was gonna steal his in return!

"Akira, mind walking me to my place? It's getting pretty dark out." Ann requested while trying to flutter her eyelashes like the girls in old Hollywood films.

Akira glanced out the window of the train before looking back at Ann with a cocked eyebrow. "It's 4 in the afternoon, Ann…"

Shoot! He was too sharp!

"But I don't mind walking you to your place if you want." Akira continued, throwing Ann for a loop.

"Great!"

When they arrived at their stop Ann and Akira made their way to Ann's house.

She couldn't think of anything other than to just come right out and say it. But...what if he didn't feel the same way? What if he had eyes for another girl? What was she gonna do?

Little did Ann know that Akira was in the same boat. Who was he kidding? This whole day he had been ignoring the feeling in his chest, the haziness in his head, and a little voice telling him to go for it.

He had it bad for Ann Takamaki. He had it bad for awhile. She was too much for him in almost every way. Too good looking, too flirty, too confident, too social.

They were complete opposites in many ways. Most notably was their social life. Ann had a very outgoing aura that made her very easy to talk to. Akira on the other hand was very asocial and took a long time to open up as seen earlier that day when the people in his life had gone from confidants to friends in his mind.

"We're here." Ann broke Akira from his thoughts as the approached the front door of Ann's house. "Thanks for walking me home, hanging out with me, and...everything." Ann expressed her gratitude for all the things Akira had done for her, big or small, whether he knew it or not.

"You're welcome, Ann. Thank you for talking to me today. You helped me understand quite a bit."

The two stood in an awkward silence for a bit before Akira coughed and turned away.

"Anyway, goodnight Ann."

"Wait, Akira!" Ann called out unconsciously. "I have something to tell you." Oh Ann knew she had done it now. She had just stopped him with the intent to confess! And Akira was turning toward her again while giving her his full attention.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I-um…." Ann struggled to get the words out. When she picked out her outfit this morning, she never knew she'd be confessing in front of her own house. "Akira, I had fun today. In fact I have fun whenever you're around no matter what it is we're doing! You hide your true self away from the world because you know they'd disapprove of it but you don't condemn society for it." Ann was on a roll and there was no stopping her. The words fell from her lips at an almost manic speed. "You blame the people who made society that way! You want to change it so nobody else has to hide behind masks like we do. You're sneaky and conniving but you're also totally simple minded and sweet. You're not prideful about all the things you've helped people through and you also have a hard time accepting that people care about you and don't just see you as another faceless nobody! And that what makes you such an idiot!" Ann didn't realize her voice had been getting louder to the point that she was almost yelling. But she didn't care. Nobody was around anyway and her mother didn't get home for awhile. "You're an idiot." She sniffled as her eyes grew watery. "But I still love you even though you're an idiot." Ann finished while wiping at her eyes. "Damn it. Why am I crying? There's no reason for me to cry. So why won't the tears stop. Why do m-my eyes hurt so much?"

She didn't hear Akira say anything but when she had wiped away some of the tears obscuring her vision, she saw Akira holding out a tissue for her.

"Th-Thanks." She stuttered through her sobs.

"You're welcome…" Akira acknowledged shakily.

Ann wiped away at the tears on her face and eyes before Akira held another tissue to her nose. "Blow." He commanded simply and Ann obeyed by blowing into the tissue he held for her.

"Better?" Akira asked after he had helped Ann clean up her face.

"Y-yeah." Ann muttered in humiliation at her break down. She felt so stupid. There was no reason to cry all of a sudden but her shoulders felt a bit lighter and it felt easier to breathe.

"Is it my turn now?" She heard Akira mumble.

"Huh?" Ann was confused by what he meant.

"Nevermind." Akira said with a shake of his head. His voice still seemed shaky to Ann. "I'm going to take my turn now anyway. I'll just come right out and say it then… Ann, you are such a stereotypical American ditzy blonde."

"What the hell?!" Ann was starting to get pissed. She pours out several months worth of feeling to him just to be insulted?

"You could do soooo much better." Akira continued, snuffing out the flames of her anger. "You've got looks, charm, and enough wit to dance circles around most people. But here you are telling me how great I supposedly am. It makes no sense for you to waste your time on me."

And just like that, he reignited her flames of fury. "Well it's your damn fault! Maybe if you didn't have a bad habit of swooping in and saving people left and right it would be easier to hate you! It's not like you acting all cocky and suave in a Palace is helping me here either!"

Akira was taken aback by Ann's yelling. "I'm the most average and boring looking guy in the entire nation, so why-"

"I don't care if you don't have perfect hair or if you don't always look like you just worked out! Why...why can't you just accept it?" Ann began to run out of steam as she felt tears beginning to well up again. "Why can't you just accept...that I love you?"

Ann felt Akira wrap his arms around her in a comforting manner. She wished so badly that it could be under happier circumstances though. She cried into Akira's sleeve and made it completely soaked with tears. Why did she have to fall for some idiot who didn't like to see his self worth or accept her feelings?

"Ann, turn around for me." Akira told her.

"Turn around? Why?" Ann demanded to know.

"Just do it." Akira grabbed her by the shoulders and roughly spun her around. "That's better." He sounded more confident this time. "With this I can say what I wanted to say."

Ann was confused as to what Akira was doing. Of all things, he asks her to turn around.

"Ann, I want you to know that you definitely weren't who I would've said I saw myself with a few months ago. But what can I say? You've grown on me. Even after everything you've been through, you still find a way to be rather sweet on people. I honestly am not sure if what I feel is love or just a strong attachment. But if you're willing to give me a chance, I'd like to try being with you."

Ann almost fainted at those words. "You really mean it?" She really wanted to turn around to see what kind of expression he was making.

"Yes. But I've never had a girlfriend before, so I may screw up a lot." He warned her.

"That's ok. I'll teach you what's expected of you as my boyfriend."

"I forget dates really easily so I may forget your birthday."

"Hehe. I'll just remind you and you can take me on a shopping spree."

"I may not always-"

"Don't care." Ann interjected. "But I do have my own warning for you."

Akira was silent for a bit. "What is it?"

Ann turned around and before Akira could react, before she could savor his reaction, she closed her eyes, stood on her toes, and planted a soft kiss on Akira's cheek. She allowed her lips to linger there for a brief moment before pulling away. For once Ann saw his face with a look of pure, unfiltered shock.

"If I get a taste of what it's like being your girlfriend, I may not wanna let you go." Ann stroked the same cheek that her lips had claimed only seconds ago. "What do you say to that, Akira?"

Akira opened his mouth. It was time to be honest and give Ann a true response.

"I say…."

Several Hours Later

"I say, this looks to be quite the problem." Yusuke commented at the sight before him and the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

Only half an hour ago they had entered a Palace instead of the planned Momento. The usual shadows had manifested and tried to obstruct their path but were quickly dealt with by the Thieves who roamed the halls with confidence. The problem had arisen when Haru fell from a rafter and in her panic had grabbed Akira's coat, dragging him down with her. They fell several dozen feet and smashed through a floor but they were uninjured thanks to Akira using Arsene to soften their fall.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves had quickly retraced their steps back down to the level that Akira and Haru fell to. They arrived to see Akira brushing off Haru's backside as she kept apologizing over and over again as their Leader assured her that he wasn't mad.

"Hohoho." An eerie chuckle came from Ann when she stumbled upon them as Akira just so happened to be brushing the dust off of the bottom of Haru's pants. "I come running down here, all worried and stuff, just to see you feeling up another girl's ass?"

Without missing a beat, Akira (in Phantom Thief mode) replied smoothly. "Ann, it's a misunderstanding. You know I wouldn't do something like that. Especially on the day we decided to start dating."

This news caused Haru and Futaba to squeal in delight while Makoto gave the both a smile of approval. Yusuke applauded with a smirk while Ryuji began whistling at the two of them.

"I know that." Ann relented while trying to ignore her friend's antics. "But still...remember my warning? I…" Ann looked at her friends before lowering her voice so only Akira could hear her while she was thankful for the mask that hid her burning face. "I may not want to give you up, remember? It's only natural that I'd get jealous a lot."

Akira's eyes softened behind his mask. Using his teeth he removed one of his red gloves before reaching toward Ann's face and stroking it gently. "I remember. And a little jealousy is normal in a relationship, right?"

Ann nodded as she leaned further into Akira's hand. "Sorry." Ann mumbled.

"Don't be. I understand where you're coming from. I'm not upset or disappointed at you in anyway."

Ann looked up at Akira and felt herself melting. Her boyfriend...God, it felt good to call him that...he was so sweet. She just couldn't help the jealous flare up that happened when she saw Akira close to Haru.

"God… Those two are actually pretty sickening, eh Fox?" Ryuji jabbed verbally.

"Yes. But...it might make a good painting." Yusuke commented while framing the two with his hands.

"Ahem." Akira removed his hand from Ann's cheek before replacing his glove on said hand. He cleared his throat to draw the other's attention back to him. "Anyway, since neither Haru or myself are hurt, we'll keep going through the Palace for a while longer."

A moment of silence passed for the group (with the exception of Ann) before they snapped and screamed in unison.

"WHAT?"

Before Akira could respond to their outburst, they surrounded him and summoned their Personas.

"Alright, Shadow! Whatchu do with, Joker?" Ryuji demanded to know while drawing his shotgun for good measure.

"Damn! This one's able to trick my sensors. They're even saying it's Joker. Oh, this Shadow is good!" Futaba cursed while already scanning for weaknesses.

"The only time you could've switched places with Joker is when we were falling somehow. Haru doesn't know how you did it but you kidnapped Joker! Don't worry, Joker! We'll find you!" Haru proclaimed.

"This Shadow must be strong to kidnap our Leader. Probably the strongest we've faced so far. Don't let your guard down." Yusuke warned calmly in contrast to his burning glare and shrunken irises.

"I'll have to send a message to the other dirty Shadows that it's not ok to impersonate my precious kouhai. Don't think that just because you're wearing Joker's appearance that I'll spare you." Makoto declared while cracking her knuckles.

"Hold on, you idiots!" Ann shouted. She pushed passed her friends and stood in front of Akira to protect him. "This is Akira. Not some Shadow!"

"Oh no! It's even brainwashed Ann!" Makoto lamented.

Akira sighed before grabbing his mask and ripping it off. "Persona!" Arsene erupted from the blue flames that Akira's mask turned into and it's glowing eyes glanced over the other Thieves' Persona's. "Now do you believe her?" Akira couldn't hide his amusement at their actions.

"Shadows can't summon Personas… So he must be Joker." Haru placed her finger on her chin in thought. "But just now, Joker called Haru by her first name…"

"Yeah." Ryuji agreed. He cautiously lowered his shotgun before dispelling his Persona. "Joker doesn't call us by our names."

"I was just giving it a shot, Ryuji." Akira admitted.

"Woah!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Even calling me by my name? What's going on?"

Akira shrugged before throwing his arm over Ann's shoulder and pulling her closer. "I just had a conversation with Ann earlier about how I should call my friends by their name."

"Aaaaaah." Yusuke moaned while placing his hand on his head. "This emotion! This overwhelming joy! How would one convey this sort of happiness through painting? I must know!" The Phantom Thieves resident artist was weeping tears of creativity and joy.

"Oh no! Joker made Fox cry!" Haru cried.

"Guess that's Yusuke for you." Joker smirked. He was having fun seeing his friends react they way they were to him openly calling them by their first names as friends.

As the group seemed to be devolving into full blown stupidity, a new Shadow appeared behind them.

"Damn. Queen, take 'em out!" Akira commanded calmly.

"Roger!" She shouted while jumping impossibly high in the air and ripping her fists through the poor being.

"Panther! Above her!" Akira shouted when he noticed some movement above Makoto.

"Already on it." She confirmed before summoning Carmen and having her cast her vine whip up above Makoto and wrapping around some unforseen enemy in the dark. With all her might, Carmen pulled the enemy Shadow from the darkness and slammed it on the ground.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves practically dogpiled the unfortunate enemy with their Personas and sent the Shadows screaming to their end.

"Whew. Good job, everyo-AGHHHH!" Ryuji's congratulations was cut off by Carmen kicking her two heart eyed gentlemen footstools out of the way and into Ryuji before she cast her vine whip at Arsene before the ghostly figure could dissipate completely.

The whip wrapped around Arsene's midsection, trapping his arms as well, before Carmen began to reel Arsene over like a fish.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves watched in horror, shock, amusement, interest, and a range of other emotions while Arsene seemed to put up no fight even while he was being reeled in.

Once Arsene was close enough, Carmen threw her arms around the slightly taller Persona and began rubbing her face against Arsene's flame covered mask. The icing on the cake came from Carmen's irises changing from yellow to pink shaped hearts while she hugged Arsene.

"Haru thought Ann's Persona evolved…" Haru whispered in wonder. "Why is Carmen here and why did she trap Arsene?"

"Hmmm." Makoto pondered with her hands on her hips. "If I had to say, I'd say it's because Carmen is still a part of Ann's psyche even if she did evolve. It makes sense that she could come back if she was needed. And since Personas are a reflection of your inner self, then that would explain this." She concluded while pointing at the scene before them.

The group looked over at Ann and Akirax who was laughing at her Persona betraying the poor girl's true desires. "If you wanted a hug, Ann, all you had to do is ask."

That was the last straw for Ann as her face began giving off steam. "AAAARGH! That's it, Akira Kurusu! Ann declared while jabbing her finger at Akira's chest. "I'm gonna steal your heart for real and you're gonna be head over heels for me in a matter of weeks. Got it?!"

Akira smirked impishly and grabbed Ann's hand and did something that would've killed him from embarrassment if he wasn't in Phantom Thief mode. He guided Ann's hand to his lips and lightly kissed it like a gentleman before flashing a downright sinful smile. "I'm looking forward to it!" He declared gleefully, sending shivers down her spine.

Oh God… She may have just taken on the toughest heist of her career as a Phantom Thief.

"I say, this looks to be quite the problem…"

* * *

 **Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought Haru would speak in the third person when I saw her character and heard her Japanese and English VA...** **I do plan on doing other P5 oneshots of Akira (protagonist) and the other P5 girls in the Phantom Thieves (unfortunately I haven't decided who is best girl).**

 **Again, I don't plan on finishing Natural Selection if you happened to wander from the RWBY fandom to the Persona fandom. Sorry. May do some oneshots for RWBY in the future but I'm just not interested in it right now.**


End file.
